Hangers which support dispensers from the toilet bowl rim are well known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,254, issued to Brownstein on July 11, 1972, discloses a hanger consisting of a hook-shaped arm which clips onto the top edge of a toilet bowl rim. Attached to the arm is a base portion secured to the upper end of an elongated member. The member extends downwardly through a central opening in a block of material composed of the benefit to be dispensed. The block is disposed within the toilet bowl when the arm is clipped onto the rim of the bowl. U.S. Pat. No. 3,538,520, issued Leavitt on Nov. 10, 1970, in a preferred embodiment, provides a holder which consists of a bowl-engaging portion and a lower trough-like solid sanitizing material supporting portion. The bowl-engaging portion, which has a generally U-shaped cross section, is adapted to clip over the top edge of the toilet bowl rim. The trough-like portion, which is disposed within the toilet bowl, contains the benefit to be dispensed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,178,070, issued to Leland on Apr. 13, 1965, provides a supporting and dispensing attachment for an aerosol deodorant container. The attachment, which is U-shaped, consists of an inner vertical wall, an outer vertical wall and a horizontal top wall which are integrally joined and have curved top corners conforming with similarly curved top corner portions of the toilet bowl rim. The aerosol container is attached to the outer vertical wall and is exterior to the toilet bowl when the clip is attached to the rim of the toilet bowl.
Unlike the requirements for hangers typically utilized to support materials within a toilet tank bowl, a major requirement for a hanger designed to suspend a dispenser from the inside of a toilet tank is that the dispenser be supported in as near a vertical position as possible with the lower end of the dispenser securely held against the toilet tank wall. If this design requirement is not met, then (for reasons which will be fully discussed hereinafter) the lower end of the dispenser can project into the flushing apparatus, thereby causing the commode to malfunction. In addition, some dispensers must be supported in a vertical position with at least the lowermost end submerged in the toilet tank water in order to properly function.
If the dispenser is merely clipped onto the top edge of the toilet tank wall in accordance with the teachings of the prior art toilet bowl rim hangers, the requirement for vertical alignment is not likely to be realized. A major reason for this is that toilet tank fabrication, which is normally a molding process, leaves the toilet tank walls with an outward sloping primary flare of typically about 3.degree. from the vertical. Toilet tanks can also have a secondary flare near the top of the toilet tank wall which is also typically about 3.degree. as measured from the primary flare. Toilet tanks can have both a primary and a secondary flare to produce a combined outward flare in the top edge of the toilet tank wall of about 6.degree. from the vertical. Therefore, if the dispenser is merely clipped to the top edge of the wall, the bottom of the dispenser will project toward the center of the tank and away from the innermost surface of the toilet tank wall. To further complicate matters, the tank itself, which is often used as a back rest while the commode is in use, tends to settle rearwardly. In most commodes it is particularly advantageous to support the dispenser from the rear wall because the linkage for the flushing apparatus is attached to the front wall. Therefore, this latter problem of settlement compounds the problem of flare. In addition to the foregoing, some dispensers are buoyant, and their buoyancy increases as the benefit is used up. Thus, if the dispenser is simply clipped to the top edge of the tank, its buoyancy tends to cause the lower end of the dispenser to float away from the toilet tank wall.
Accordingly, it is primary object of the present invention to provide a hanger which supports a toilet tank dispenser from a toilet tank wall in as near a vertical position as possible by providing a feature to compensate for the outward flare of the toilet tank wall and the rearward settlement of the toilet tank.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hanger which prevents the lower end of the dispenser from floating into the flushing apparatus.
Still further objects of the present invention include provision of a hanger for a toilet tank dispenser which is reliable and which can easily be manufactured at low cost.